What can we learn about Gribov copies from a formulation of QCD in terms of gauge-invariant fields?

Abstract

We review the procedure by which we implemented the non-Abelian Gauss's law and constructed gauge-invariant fields for QCD in the temporal (Weyl) gauge. We point out that the operator-valued transformation that transforms gauge-dependent temporal-gauge fields into gauge-invariant ones has the formal structure of a gauge transformation. We express the ``standard'' Hamiltonian for temporal-gauge QCD entirely in terms of gauge-invariant fields, calculate the commutation rules for these fields, and compare them to earlier work on Coulomb-gauge QCD. We also discuss multiplicities of gauge-invariant temporal-gauge fields that belong to different topological sectors and that, in previous work, were shown to be based on the same underlying gauge-dependent temporal-gauge fields. We relate these multiplicities of gauge-invariant fields to Gribov copies. We argue that Gribov copies appear in the temporal gauge, but not when the theory is represented in terms of gauge-dependent fields and Gauss's law is left unimplemented. There are Gribov copies of the gauge-invariant gauge field, which can be constructed when Gauss's law is implemented.